The technical field of this invention concerns electricity generation from air conditioning exhaust.
Windmills, or wind turbines which generate electricity from the wind are well-known. Increasing efficiency of such generators and increased cost of traditional fossil fuel energy sources have lead to significant use and commercial development of wind-driven generators relying on natural air movements. Such windmills frequently are placed in windy areas and mounted on tall posts or columns. These windmills may rotate to face changing wind directions.
Other wind-driven electric generating systems have used air intakes to drive the windmills. Recent inventions have attempted to collect moving air created by traveling motor vehicles to generate electricity.
Berenda and Ferenci were awarded U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,788 for a system which utilizes wasted or exhaust air flow from one or more ventilation systems of a bounded area such as a mine, a tunnel or some other area requiring ventilation. Their system utilizes existing wind-powered electric generating equipment in front of the exhaust fan of the ventilation systems.
Known wind powered electric generating systems, however, have not utilized exhaust air from relatively low volume non-ventilation sources typically found in air conditioner exhaust. The present invention utilizes such low volume air flows to generate electricity.
The present invention includes an existing wind powered generator and a means of mounting the generator in proximity to the exhaust outlet. And alternative includes a shroud sized to fit and connect to an air-conditioning exhaust port. The air conditioner is not a part of this invention. The shroud directs the air conditioner fan exhaust flow to a wind turbine, having two or more blades positioned in the air flow, so when the air flow passes over the blades, the shaft of the turbine is spun and electricity is generated thereby. The shroud also serves to protect anyone around or near the turbine from injury by the blades spinning in the exhaust fan airflow.